Since the beginning of his reign, Pope Francis has delighted and surprised the Catholic Church (and the world!) with his unique, unconventional approach to the papacy.

Pope Francis, or Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was born on Dec. 17th, 1936 in a barrio of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was one of five children born to an Italian immigrant and his wife. Despite his humble background, Bergoglio rose the ranks of the church, ultimately becoming the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church earlier this year.

As the first Latin American pontiff in history, Pope Francis became an instant favorite among most Latino communities. Since taking power, Jorge Bergoglio has made it clear that spreading the word of God throughout Latin America is part of his agenda. Within a week of getting sworn in, Pope Francis has already met with Argentinean President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who he previously clashed with in regards to gay marriage and abortion.

While the world has the opportunity to celebrate history in the making, as the first Latin becomes the new pontiff, we must also wonder what Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio really stands for and whether his beliefs align with the modern Latino in the U.S. There’s no denying that he has his work cut out for him.

History was made as the new pope was named – and he is Latino! Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, 76, became the new pope who will lead 1.2 billion Catholics. Pope Francis (as he’s now named) is the first Latin American to be named as such. But what do you really know about him? Here are ten things you definitely need to know.

More Latinos than ever are leaving the Catholic Church for other religions and spiritual practices—whether it be Pentecostalism, Islam or no spiritual practice at all. What the way we worship says about us as a changing community.

The world stood still today as we waited for the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church to emerge from the balcony at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Vatican City. When he did, the man in the white robes was Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, former Archbishop of his native Buenos Aires.

One hundred and fifteen cardinals donning red hats and capes prayed for the higher power to help them select their next leader today during the papal conclave at the St. Peter's Basilica church in Rome, Italy. Since Pope Benedict XVIstepped down last month, due to his age and weakened health, an estimated 1.2 billion Catholics anxiously wait as the “princes of the Church” begin the balloting process.

Pope Benedict XVI named seven new saints on Sunday, looking to reinvigorate the faith in parts of the world where the religion is lagging, reports Fox News Latino. In his homily, Pope Benedict praised each of the seven as heroic and courageous examples for the entire church.

Latina Media Ventures, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Service LLC Associate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, and is also a Linkshare, ShareaSale, and CJ affiliate. Our decisions to feature and recommend products is guided by our editorial decisions.